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Suzanne Milford

Hello! I’m currently in my eleventh year as a Chemistry teacher at the Texas School for the Deaf. Born and raised in Arizona, I spent 19 years employed at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. After working in various professions in Arizona, I transitioned into teaching High School Science, a role I’ve embraced for the past 13 years. Throughout this time, I’ve had the privilege of teaching subjects such as Chemistry, Physical Science, Biology, Earth Science, and Math. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Gallaudet University and a Master of Science in Deaf Education from Idaho State University.

Outside of teaching, I enjoy a variety of activities, including hiking, camping, traveling, and dog sitting. I also love engaging in creative arts and crafts, with a focus on acrylic painting and jewelry making. I’m passionate about pickleball and play weekly. Above all, I cherish the time spent with my family, my husband, and our two young children.

The importance of students enrolling in mandatory science courses during their high school years cannot be overstated. Science is essential for understanding the complexities of our world and equips students with the knowledge to make informed decisions.

I’m excited to get to know both parents and students throughout the upcoming 2024-2025 school year!

My rover clients.
 

Posts

DIY Lava Lamp!

This is what you can do at home. You'll need water, food coloring, cooking oil, alka seltzer tablet, and a bottle. Instructions: 1. Fill the bottle about half full of water and add a few drops of food coloring. 2. Fill the rest of the bottle with cooking oil and allow the components to settle and separate. 3. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into quarters, and drop one piece into the bottle. ... 4. Watch as the bottle swirls and churns like a real lava lamp!

Elephant Toothpaste

How does it work? The foam created because each tiny foam bubble is filled with oxygen. The yeast acted as a catalyst (a helper) to remove the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. Since it did this very fast, it created lots and lots of bubbles. The foam produced is just water, soap, and oxygen. Hydrogen Peroxide + (Yeast as catalyst) --> Water + Oxygen

Dancing Raisins

You'll see raisins bobbing up and down in the soda. Why does this happen? Raisins are denser than the liquid in the soda, so at first, they sink to the bottom of the glass. The carbonated soda releases carbon dioxide bubbles. When these bubbles stick to the rough surface of a raisin, the raisin is lifted because of the increase in buoyancy. When the raisin reaches the surface, the bubbles pop, and the carbon dioxide gas escapes into the air. This causes the raisin to lose buoyancy and sink. Then the process happens over and over again until the soda loose its carbon dioxide gases.

The Iodine Clock Reaction!

The iodine clock reaction is a classical chemical clock demonstration experiment to show chemical kinetics in action. It was discovered by Hans Heinrich Landolt in 1886. Two color solutions are mixed and at first there is no visible reaction. Then you'll see the solutions changing to clear or cloudy white color. The iodine is mixed with starch to make a dark blue-black color solution. Then the solution of vitamin C is added to make it clear. How does it work? Iodine has two different “oxidation states” – one where the iodine molecules have a negative charge (I-) and the other where they have no electric charge (I0) Only the iodine with no electric charge can combine with starch to make the blue-black color. Certain chemical reactions (called oxidation and reduction reactions) can make iodine shift back and forth between these two states when it is mixed with Vitamin C solution.